Today’s Buffalo Foodie is Jason Toczydlowski, the owner of CHQ Local Food and it’s sister company CHQ Picnic. CHQ Local Food is a local food distributor, connecting restaurants and households with 25+ small organic and/or sustainable farms. In addition to helping people eat better, fresher food, he also produces events to help educate diners and a local catering service to the Chautauqua Institute called Picnic. We first met Jason in 2011 while attending a dinner by Chef Ross Warhol at the Anthenaeum Hotel and have been following his work in the Chautauqua Contry ever since.
We don’t travel to Chautauaqua that often, so we thought Jason would be a perfect Buffalo Foodie for the site. Check out his favorite eats and drinks and start planning a mini road trip.
Right now, where are your favorite places to eat?
Jason: Residing on Chautauqua Lake in Chautauqua County for a few years of my life now, Forte, in downtown Jamestown, NY has been a steady year-round favorite. Located next to the historic vaudeville Reg Lenna Theater, Forte is the place to be before and after shows. Chef Julie Scheira, with prior stints at Hutch’s and Tempo, has an eclectic skill set referencing traditional South East Asian to Italian flavors. Sushi and dessert ninja Roger Rhinehart regularly supplies their social media arm with excellent content (pics of his food that is). Bartender, Nick Dean, is the man. He is that “Nice Guy” bartender, very approachable, while passionate and knowledgable about classic cocktails and craft beer.
One of my favorite local chefs, Brian Kendal, took the reigns at the Chautauqua Yacht Club, which I believe will draw area foodies to this private lake-side club because Brian’s plates reflect his high-end Manhattan experience in French cuisine, right down to the impeccable presentation.
Another chef I’ve followed is Jeff Bennet. Owners at the Scallion Bistro in Lakewood, NY, Ryan Thayer and Derrick Nickerson took over in 2013 and brought him on. They source a lot of local food from Abers Acres certified organic farm and from CHQ Local Food. They definitely pump out some innovative dishes with photo-worthy presentations.
Stepping out of Chautauqua for a moment, I recently had three amazing meals in Buffalo: Buffalo Proper, The Black Sheep and Oshun. My evening at Buffalo proper was a double-header. The bar service was tight, and not a surprise after hearing about their apprentice-like training program. The innovative cocktail menu is chock-full of classic ingredients and techniques, which is so similar to Chef Edward Forester’s take on the dinner menu. Forester lives up to the hype in my opinion. The Celery Root Bisque with Duck Liver Mousse, Charred Winter Citrus, Celery Crumble, Shaved Truffle with the broth served table-side floored me.
The art-deco decor, frescos, and high ceilings create an atmosphere at Ohsun that is reminiscent of epic culinary experiences in historical Manhattan oyster bars. The young and talented Chef Brett Brennan amazes me with his humble approach to honoring tradition and valuing quality ingredients. As in any great oyster bar, they have a good selection of well cared for oysters on the raw bar. A highlight for me is their Rockefeller style baked Middleneck Clams with Parmesan Mousse and an assertive flavor of fresh watercress.
Where do you like to grab a drink after work and relax?
Jason: Away from the Lake, Brazil Craft Beer and Wine Lounge on 4th St in Jamestown would be my choice. They have 18 rotating craft beers on tap, a good wine list and offer a basic yet sufficient tapas style appetizer menu. The owner of Brazil, Jeffrey James, has been operating a favorite Jamestown spot located directly below it, the Labyrinth Press Company. It is a coffee shop, performance venue, and vegetarian cafe serving breakfast and lunch. The Labyrinth was so successful that he is expanding the kitchen by necessity, which will also service Brazil upstairs. Both establishments are keystones in a true renaissance happening in Jamestown.
After work or on a day off in the summer, I love meeting up with people to have a cocktail at the 135 year old Hotel Lenhart in Bemus Point. The sunsets over the lake are amazing from the front porch on a rocking chair or in the lawn on one of the many Adirondack chairs. Step inside the Lamp Lighter Lounge (and you WILL feel like you stepped back in time)to have their famous “Rocker” cocktail.
If you had a friend visiting from out of town, where would you take them for a good “WNY” time?
Jason: Any good craft beer-drinking visitor to Chautauqua County seeks out Southern Tier Brewery in Lakewood, NY. Visitors typically have seen the beer on tap at a craft beer festival or at trendy bars in Brooklyn, Charlotte, Miami or any of numerous national and international locations. It’s also the main character’s favorite brew on Orange is the New Black. Naturally I like to take people to the brewery for the beer, but the timber framed Empty Pint Pub pumps out great food. Chef Heather Merchant Conroe, culinary manager of the pub, leads a stellar team including Chefs Todd Singleton, Lynette Miles & Aaron Johnson, who does a lot of the smoking. The in-house smoked pulled pork sandwiches have been the most popular item. I am a fan of the ‘YOU CAN GOAT YOUR OWN WAY’ grilled goat cheese sandwich with avocado, and fresh pico de gallo. In the summer, you can sit in the lawn or at picnic tables outside and see live music on a matching timber framed stage.
There are a number of bars and restaurants accessible by boat on Chautauqua Lake. When friends are in town, its a treat to hop around the lake with a bottle of wine, cheese and nosh. Picnic, my catering company attempts to emulate and encourage this time-honored lake experience. While on the lake, you can get Picnic delivery on the docks of the world-renowned Chautauqua Institution. In addition to seeing a concert or lecture and strolling the pedestrian historic cottage-lined streets, I would suggest dinner on the porch of the Victorian-era Athenaeum Hotel. Now called the Heirloom Restaurant, I hear they’ll have a locavore Tuesday menu this summer. My service, CHQ Local Food, is partnering with them to produce a five-course Spring farm-to-table dinner on May 31st.
If there is concert on the floating stage (at least four nights a week) or a good cover band playing at the Village Casino, we would make Bemus Point a destination not to miss on Chautauqua Lake. The Casino (not actually a gambling joint) has lakeside outdoor seating and you can get wait-service right to your docked boat. They are known for their wings (yes, Buffalo – the Casino holds a Guinness World Record in this category for highest number of wings sold in one day) and have a decent crab cake sandwich on the menu.
What are some of your favorite early food memories from your childhood?
Jason: The traditional homemade Polish and Ukrainian dishes are what I remember most growing up outside of Scranton, PA. Fresh homemade raisin bread sandwiches with kielbasa, red beet horseradish, fresh horseradish, honey, and sour cream. I also cherish seeing my grandmother Olga, two aunts and mom making hundreds of pirogies in the course of one afternoon.
What would you like to see more of in our restaurant scene?
Jason: We need more places like Havana, the new Cuban casual restaurant on North Main St in Jamestown. Owner Ruben Hernandez is wise to keep tradition with his mother in the kitchen, who makes a mean Cuban sandwich, but I go for the classic completos. He did not open until every inch of the decor was authentic Cuba, complete with autographed photos of Desi Arnaz (husband of Jamestown legend Lucille Ball and known to many as Ricky Ricardo from the most popular sitcom of all-time, I Love Lucy) and great footage of Cuba looping in the corners. Restaurants that properly represent a foreign cuisine are hard to find unless you are looking for Italian, but even then, you typically find a real American-ized menu. I would like to see casual traditional Indian and Thai restaurants in Chautauqua County.
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We’d like to thank Jason for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. If you’re interest in supporting local farms or would like to find out more information about what’s going on in Chautauqua Country, check out CHQ Local Food.